QUEENS LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018 M I N U T E S

Transcription

1 QUEENS LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018 M I N U T E S A meeting of the Board of Trustees was held at the Central Library, Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica, NY on Thursday,. The meeting was called to order at 7:33 PM by Acting Chair Eli Shapiro Ed. D LCSW. I. Call to Order In the absence of the board chair, Judy Bergtraum, Esq. and vice chair, Michael Rodriguez, Esq., the board meeting was chaired by the board secretary, Eli Shapiro, Ed. D, LCSW. The recommended motion for Mr. Shapiro to serve as acting chair for the meeting was moved by Hon. Augustus Agate and seconded by Haeda Mihaltses. The motion passed unanimously. Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Carl S. Koerner Esq. Board Member Present Judy E. Bergtraum Esq. Chair of the Board Excused Robert Santos Esq. Treasurer Present Michael E. Rodriguez Esq. Vice Chair of the Board Excused Earl G. Simons Ed. D Board Member Present Augustus C. Agate Board Member Present Maria Concolino Board Member Present Julissa Gutierrez Board Member Present James Haddad Esq. Board Member Excused Board Member Excused Haeda Mihaltses Board Member Present 6:31 PM John Ottulich Board Member Present Edward Sadowsky Esq. Board Member Present Eli Shapiro Ed. D LCSW Acting Chair Present 6:25 PM Lydon Sleeper O'Connell Assistant Treasurer Present 7:56 PM Matthew M. Gorton Board Member Present 6:44 PM Andrew P. Jackson Board Member Present Generated 3/12/2018 1:23 PM

2 Board of Trustees Minutes Udai Tambar Rep - Mayor's Office Present Angelina Martinez-Rubio Esq. Rep - Ex-Officio Rep - BP Present Jimmy Yan Rep - Comptroller Present Eve Cho Guillergan Esq Rep - Speaker Present Ibrahim Khan Rep - Public Advocate Present Larry Schimmel Esq. Rep - Public Advocate Present Dennis M. Walcott President & CEO Present Sung Mo Kim General Counsel, Sr. VP Present Nick Buron Chief Librarian & Sr. VP Present Amy Mugavaro Director, QLF Present Lewis Finkelman Esq. Chief Operating Officer & Sr. VP. Present 2 P a g e

3 Board of Trustees Minutes II. Approval of BOT Minutes A. Board of Trustees Meeting - December 21, Approval of Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meeting (ID # 1648) I move that the Minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting of December 21, 2017 be approved as submitted. Augustus C. Agate Haeda Mihaltses III. Report of the Chair of the Board The Public Budget Hearing date was unanimously selected by the board and scheduled for Thursday, April 19, Election of Officers - Resolution (ID # 1645) Recommended Motion for Consideration by the Board of Trustees: I move that the Nominations of the Officers for 2018 be accepted as presented by the Nominating Committee: Chairman of the Board: Vice Chair: Secretary: Treasurer: Assistant Treasurer: Judy Bergtraum, Esq. Michael Rodriguez, Esq. Eli Shapiro, Ed. D, LCSW Robert Santos, Esq. Lydon Sleeper-O Connell RESOLUTION WHEREAS, at its regularly scheduled meeting held on November 21, 2017, the Board of Trustees of the Queens Borough Public Library elected a Nominating Committee comprised of the following Trustees: Judge Augustus Agate (Chair of the Committee), Carl Koerner, James Haddad, Maria Concolino, and Andrew Jackson; and WHEREAS, the Nominating Committee prepared and submitted to the Board of Trustees, at least ten (10) days prior to the Board s regularly scheduled meeting held on December 21, 2017, its recommended slate of candidates for officers of the Library 3 P a g e

4 for calendar year 2018; and Board of Trustees Minutes WHEREAS, at the Board s regularly scheduled meeting held on December 21, 2017, the Nominating Committee recommended the following slate of officers of the Library for calendar year 2018: Chairman of the Board: Vice Chair: Secretary: Treasurer: Assistant Treasurer: Judy Bergtraum, Esq. Michael Rodriguez, Esq. Eli Shapiro, Ed. D, LCSW Robert Santos, Esq. Lydon Sleeper-O Connell WHEREAS, at the December 21, 2017 meeting, the Chairman of the Board asked if any Trustee would like to nominate any other officers and no other nominations were offered; and WHEREAS, at the December 21, 2017 meeting, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a motion to close nominations for officers of the Library for calendar year NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Trustees that, after due deliberation, the following Trustees are elected as the officers of the Library for calendar year 2018 and shall continue in office until their successors shall have been elected and qualified: Chairman of the Board: Vice Chair: Secretary: Treasurer: Assistant Treasurer: Judy Bergtraum, Esq. Michael Rodriguez, Esq. Eli Shapiro, Ed. D, LCSW Robert Santos, Esq. Lydon Sleeper-O Connell Haeda Mihaltses Carl S. Koerner Esq. IV. Commitee Reports A. Buildings & Grounds Committee - 1. Approval of Buildings and Grounds Committee Report (ID # 1655) I move that the report item(s) of the committee meeting be accepted and the action item(s) be 4 P a g e

5 approved as presented. Board of Trustees Minutes Eli Shapiro Ed. D LCSW Maria Concolino B. Finance & Investments Committee - 1. Approval of Finance and Investments Committee Report (ID # 1654) I move that the report item(s) of the committee meeting be accepted and the action item(s) be approved as presented. Augustus C. Agate Carl S. Koerner Esq. V. President's Report Mr. Walcott reported that the library staff is beginning to have an active role in the innovative process of the library, which began with the innovation grants. Nick Buron, Chief Librarian reported that the W-2 has been mailed to staff and this is the first time in years that W-2 s has been mailed out prior to IRS mailing deadline. He also reported that the Counsel General of Bangladesh recently moved to the Long Island City area and took a site tour of the Central Library today. Mr. Buron gave a brief overview of the Key Performance Indicator s Report. He reported that with all library agencies open, the gate count has increased. However, within the next couple of months, Glendale, East Elmhurst, Richmond Hill, and South Jamaica agencies will be closed, due to upcoming renovation projects. He also reported that newspaper deliveries have been working effortlessly. Prior to implementing the new service, library staff made approximately 19,000 trips per week. This service saves library funding and labor costs. 5 P a g e

6 Board of Trustees Minutes He announced to the board that after 10 years of service, Denise Corcoran, Director of Community Library Services, has resigned from Queens Library and will be working with the Great Neck Library system. Maria Concolino, Board Trustee stated that there have been some issues with the information in the library s printed program schedule. She also inquired about the library s programs being translated into different languages and/or the use of headphones being used for translation of the programs. Mr. Buron informed the board that Sharon Myrie, VP of Programs and Services, is currently looking at that issue, as well as fit into the goals of the library s strategic plan. Lewis Finkelman, Chief Operating Officer and Sr. VP reported that a new dress code policy has been implemented in response to concerns that were raised during the process that led to the execution of a new collective bargaining agreement. The former policy was extremely outdated and the Library made a commitment to collaborate with the union to update the outdated dress code. Mr. Finkelman reported that the library also worked with the union to change certain custodial staff shifts and eliminate night work crews so as to more efficiently deploy custodial staff in the branches. He also reported that FES will begin outfitting the newly acquired warehouse by the end of February 2018 and that most of equipment and supplies used by FES will be stored at this facility. The cafeteria project is scheduled to be completed and operational by early March Mr. Finkelman also reported that new multi-functional devices will begin being rolled out to library branches by the end of February 2018 and noted that service plans will be included with these devices. William Goldband, VP of Information and Technology Department (ITD), reported to the board that as a 5-year goal, 20% of staff computers will be replaced yearly. Mr. Goldband also reported on the library s amnesty program. He reported that to date, 146,000 patrons with fines and fees have been waived, with 2,254 materials reported returned to the library. Since December 2018, there were approximately 25,000 customers that returned to sign up for a new library card. Amy Mugavero, Executive Director, Queens Library Foundation reported that outreach and fundraising for small to midsize donors is going in the right direction. In December, the library received approximately 79% or close to 1,000 donations than previously 6 P a g e

7 Board of Trustees Minutes reported. The foundation also received a bequest of $142,000 from a private donor. Ms. Mugavero also reported that the Gala committee has reserved the Queens Museum for the upcoming Queens Library 2018 Gala for Tuesday, October 23, 2018 and Tuesday, October 30, She asked that the board make recommendations for honorees for the upcoming Gala. Mr. Walcott concluded his report by stating to the board that the library is working on a variety of marketing and press plans to assist in elevating and promoting the Queens Library brand. It was also reported that the general community is not aware that the Queens Library is not affiliated with the City or State and is one of the largest library systems in the country. 1. Key Performance Indicators December 2017 (ID # 1642) PRESENTED VI. Other Business 1. Motion to Go into Executive Session (ID # 1649) This action was withdrawn at the request of general counsel, Sung Mo Kim. I move that the meeting move into Executive Session. WITHDRAWN [Unanimous] 2. Motion to Return to Public Session (ID # 1650) This action was withdrawn at the request of general counsel, Sung Mo Kim. I move that the meeting return to Public Session 7 P a g e

8 WITHDRAWN [Unanimous] Board of Trustees Minutes VII. Adjournment 1. Motion to Adjourn (ID # 1653) I move that the meeting be adjourned. Augustus C. Agate Edward Sadowsky Esq. The meeting was closed at 8:35 PM. Secretary 8 P a g e